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I'm starting to plan the building of a detached second garage on my property, which led me to review this wonderful thread, start to finish, over the past couple weeks. Thought I would contribute with some pics of my attached two-car garage. Last year, I bought a 458 spider and wanted a garage worthy of housing it, so I undertook to transform the average, messy garage into something I could be more proud of and comfortable in. Since I appreciated seeing these types of transitions in this thread, I will begin there, then post "present" pictures in a subsequent post.
This is what I started with (after getting rid of two large wooden workbenches).
I had a lot of stuff I didn't want mucking up the garage, so I had some guys build a shed on a pad I have in the back. This is where I'm trying to build the new detached garage if I can work around the setbacks and a utility easement.
With a shed to hold lots of junk, I had a cleaner slate to start from!
The garage is small and in the wrong direction. It's only 20' wide and 22.5' deep (not to mention just 8' tall). I decided on Swiss Trax and used their online tool to plan out parking spaces for the Ferrari and my 1974 Bronco. Came up with a car-colors and racing theme.
Cleared everything out and began painting the walls... and ceiling!
Replaced the old fluorescent lights with LEDs, power washed the (epoxy) floor, and it was time to begin laying Trax (with a helper!).
Finished, except for the tiles that need to be cut to fit around the edge, stair, water purifier, etc. That took some work, but it was still just a one-day job.
Now it was time to bring the Ferrari in and wait for the Sonic cabinets to arrive, with my stuff still in Tupperwares and piles.
Cabinets arrived so I cleaned up and got to work unloading and installing.
That's it for now. These pictures were taken about a year ago, when I didn't have my GT3 yet, so no Porsche content yet. But I will post completed pics next showing what the garage looks like (and how it functions) today.
Here is the finished garage. It still houses the Bronco (no top so it cannot stay outside) and 458. That means the GT3, which is my daily driver, gets parked outside for now, since a lift is not viable in this garage. Hopefully that will change if I can get a second garage built.
Tankless water heater and side-mounted garage door opener help keep as much space free as possible.
Convenient place to store mops and vacuum, but because it's small and handheld, the Dyson actually makes a terrific car vacuum when detailing.
Some towels for detailing and household goods in this cabinet.
Garbage and a place for used towels here. Dundon long tube headers on the counter for an upcoming GT3 project!
Power washer and car cleaning supplies here.
Old school CDs, lol.
The Sonic cabinets and tool sets are really impressive, and just so nice to look at. Like functional artwork. Everything has a place.
I cut a rectangle into the Swiss Trax to accommodate this rubber parking curb.
With the poor sight line and tiny tolerances, it helps tell me exactly where to park the Bronco....
... so that I can open the cabinet...
... where I keep motor oil and other car maintenance items...
... as well as clear the side...
... and rear tolerances.
Top is tight too!
Here's my view when pulling the 458 in.
Family portrait.
My view pulling the Bronco in. This is substantially more nerve wracking given the small space, loose-goosey steering and clunky feel of the Bronco (relative to exotics - it's pretty good for what it is), and sensitive stable mate.
She's in.
Lots of room on this park, but I always have to be super-careful opening the Bronco door.
I use a pool noodle to protect the Ferrari's passenger door from the Bronco's rock slider.
The cars get put on chargers when they go away.
Last but not least, the GT3 has her spot right behind the others, where she leaves her (brake dust and exhaust) mark.
Here is the finished garage. It still houses the Bronco (no top so it cannot stay outside) and 458. That means the GT3, which is my daily driver, gets parked outside for now, since a lift is not viable in this garage. Hopefully that will change if I can get a second garage built.
Last but not least, the GT3 has her spot right behind the others, where she leaves her (brake dust and exhaust) mark.
you have quite an enviable problem! each vehicle has its pros/cons. :-)
is the 2nd garage limitation county ordinances/rules, budget realities, wife, or a combo... or something else entirely?
you have quite an enviable problem! each vehicle has its pros/cons. :-)
is the 2nd garage limitation county ordinances/rules, budget realities, wife, or a combo... or something else entirely?
There is an old easement for telephone wires taking up some room on the property that I need to get quit-claimed, and then there are some issues with setbacks. That, and my wife doesn't want to build too far into the yard, although she's generally pretty agreeable with what I want, fortunately for me. While I figure I'll get something on there, I'm just not sure how large it'll end up being. I would love another 2-car garage, but I have a feeling this may end up being an oversized one-car garage. I'll make sure to build the ceilings high, though, so I can at least get a lift in to have some extra storage space.
There is an old easement for telephone wires taking up some room on the property that I need to get quit-claimed, and then there are some issues with setbacks. That, and my wife doesn't want to build too far into the yard, although she's generally pretty agreeable with what I want, fortunately for me. While I figure I'll get something on there, I'm just not sure how large it'll end up being. I would love another 2-car garage, but I have a feeling this may end up being an oversized one-car garage. I'll make sure to build the ceilings high, though, so I can at least get a lift in to have some extra storage space.
Looks like you have a water softener? I bought one along with a huge filter from Discount Water Softeners
I run potassium in the softener, and I'm thinking of adding a spot-free rinse spigot in the garage. If anyone wants to chime in on that.
Looks like you have a water softener? I bought one along with a huge filter from Discount Water Softeners
I run potassium in the softener, and I'm thinking of adding a spot-free rinse spigot in the garage. If anyone wants to chime in on that.
i have a water softener in my garage and use potassium salt. i had a spigot put in when i first had it put in (14+ years ago) for washing vehicles. no issues with it. makes a lot of sense to have if the water in your area is hard, or just want that peace of mind.
Looks like you have a water softener? I bought one along with a huge filter from Discount Water Softeners
I run potassium in the softener, and I'm thinking of adding a spot-free rinse spigot in the garage. If anyone wants to chime in on that.
We do have a water softener for the house, yep. I should see if I can figure out how to piggy back off that when rinsing my cars, as I just use the garden hose water right now. hmm...
We do have a water softener for the house, yep. I should see if I can figure out how to piggy back off that when rinsing my cars, as I just use the garden hose water right now. hmm...
In my case, the garden hose spigots in the yard are not soft water, but the spigots attached to the house are. Check that.
Here is the finished garage. It still houses the Bronco (no top so it cannot stay outside) and 458. That means the GT3, which is my daily driver, gets parked outside for now, since a lift is not viable in this garage. Hopefully that will change if I can get a second garage built.
Tankless water heater and side-mounted garage door opener help keep as much space free as possible.
Convenient place to store mops and vacuum, but because it's small and handheld, the Dyson actually makes a terrific car vacuum when detailing.
Some towels for detailing and household goods in this cabinet.
Garbage and a place for used towels here. Dundon long tube headers on the counter for an upcoming GT3 project!
Power washer and car cleaning supplies here.
Old school CDs, lol.
The Sonic cabinets and tool sets are really impressive, and just so nice to look at. Like functional artwork. Everything has a place.
I cut a rectangle into the Swiss Trax to accommodate this rubber parking curb.
With the poor sight line and tiny tolerances, it helps tell me exactly where to park the Bronco....
... so that I can open the cabinet...
... where I keep motor oil and other car maintenance items...
... as well as clear the side...
... and rear tolerances.
Top is tight too!
Here's my view when pulling the 458 in.
Family portrait.
My view pulling the Bronco in. This is substantially more nerve wracking given the small space, loose-goosey steering and clunky feel of the Bronco (relative to exotics - it's pretty good for what it is), and sensitive stable mate.
She's in.
Lots of room on this park, but I always have to be super-careful opening the Bronco door.
I use a pool noodle to protect the Ferrari's passenger door from the Bronco's rock slider.
The cars get put on chargers when they go away.
Last but not least, the GT3 has her spot right behind the others, where she leaves her (brake dust and exhaust) mark.
damm looks nice
my hunch is it cost you 20-30k at least if you did your own work and double that if you paid someone
my hunch is it cost you 20-30k at least if you did your own work and double that if you paid someone
Thank you. I did the work, but that's a good guess on the materials cost. I'd estimate $20k for the cabinets, $15k tools, $2.5k for the Swisstrax, and $2.5k to build the shed. $40k total.